Top 25 Star Wars Heroes: Day 2

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Our second batch of heroic favorites step into the limelight.

By Jesse Schedeen

Here at IGN Stars, we're starting to feel the heat of Star Wars fever once again. It's a feeling that never truly goes away, and yet there's plenty for Star Wars fans to be excited about in the coming months.

This week sees the debut of a new CG animated Star Wars movie – The Clone Wars. This movie is only the beginning of a planned 100-episode TV series. On top of that, The Force Unleashed hits all major consoles at the end of September.

We wanted some way to celebrate this resurgence of Star Wars fever, and we thought of just the thing. You may remember our countdown of the top 15 Star Wars villains from earlier in the summer. It seemed only right that we revisit that galaxy far, far away and count down our favorite heroes.

This time, we're counting down from 25. There are just too many worthy characters to settle for anything less. Each day this week we'll bring you another set of five. Today we continue with numbers 20-16.

Why we love him: Kids today have it easy. When we were young and obsessed with all things Star Wars, we dreamed of igniting a lightsaber and fighting evil in a galaxy far, far away. Unfortunately, back in those days there were no quality videogames to simulate the experience of being a Jedi. It wasn't until the Dark Forces series hit PCs that our dreams finally came true.

Kyle Katarn is the hero throughout most of this series. He began his career as a promising soldier in the Imperial Academy. However, like many recruits, Katarn was disillusioned by the atrocities he saw committed all around him. He broke from the ranks and defected to the Rebel Alliance, taking the Death Star plans with him.

While Katarn was a whiz with a blaster in those days, even fighting Boba Fett to a standstill, he soon discovered his true hidden potential. Katarn is a strong Force adept. He hasn't always embraced his power, usually rebuking Luke Skywalker's offers of training and guidance. Still, Kyle's destiny has forced him to come to terms with his power, and he's saved the galaxy from a terrible fate many times over.

Defining moment of heroism: Following the discovery of his Jedi heritage, Katarn tracked down the Dark Jedi responsible for his father's murder. This quest brought him to the fabled Valley of the Jedi. There leader Jerec offered Kyle a place at his side and a chance at harnessing the Valley's power. Kyle, though sorely tempted, refused and eventually brought down Jerec's reign.

Trivia: Katarn has become easily the most popular of the videogame characters, making numerous appearances in the comics and novels in recent years. Many fans attribute Katarn's popularity to his beard, which grants him Chuck Norris levels of superhuman power.